Life for ordinary citizens has become deeply entangled in crisis. Gas has been missing from household stoves for a long time. People are forced to rely on electric stoves or firewood, while those with busy schedules have become entirely dependent on restaurant food. One can survive like this for a couple of days, but not month after month. As a result, public suffering is rapidly turning into anger.

Compounding the severe gas shortage, widespread power outages have added insult to injury. Outside the major cities, load-shedding now lasts anywhere from 12 to 16 hours a day. People quip that electricity no longer “goes out”; rather, it occasionally “comes in.” This combination of an acute power crisis and intense heat has rendered daily life unbearable, while the lack of electricity has also caused severe water shortages in households.

The power and gas crisis is not merely a domestic headache—household disruptions are only the tip of the iceberg. The shortage is crippling the national economy. Industrial manufacturing has ground to a halt, plunging both large enterprises and small-scale factories into an existential crisis. Many units have shut down, driving up unemployment. Without production, factory owners cannot pay wages or service their bank loans, leading to rising labor unrest. Furthermore, major industrial owners are defaulting on loans, directly destabilizing the financial sector. With most banks already vulnerable, default risks threaten to push Bangladesh deeper into an economic death spiral.

When productivity falls in an economy, it creates multifaceted troubles. Inflation skyrockets, driving up the cost of living, while declining factory output directly harms export earnings. Bangladesh seems to be sinking into a bottomless ocean of crisis.

It is a well-established political principle that deeper economic distress breeds social instability. Financial hardship leads to higher crime rates, degrading law and order. Recent nationwide reports indicate an increase in extortion, mugging, robbery, and violent crimes. Economic strain is also fueling domestic violence, with financial distress leading to severe family disputes and spousal violence making daily headlines. The ongoing energy shortage is pushing the country toward becoming an unsafe state. When economic crisis, social chaos, and lawlessness converge, political instability naturally follows. Opposition political parties capitalize on public frustration to mount anti-government campaigns, intensifying political conflict. This ongoing friction between the government and the opposition creates space for third-party elements to exploit the turmoil, further undermining democracy. Ultimately, the power and energy crisis threatens to push the country toward a new “1/11-style” political intervention. Although the current administration has been in power for only six months, inherited a shattered system, and faced global energy shocks triggered by foreign conflicts, citizens are growing impatient. The government’s claim that past corruption, looting, and import-dependent policies of the former Awami League regime caused the present crisis is factually true, but people no longer want to hear excuses. The public’s short memory means that past corruption pales in comparison to the immediate agony of sweltering in the dark without electricity or gas. Citizens do not want explanations; they want solutions.

A government’s first six months are often treated as a honeymoon period where citizens tolerate initial missteps. However, that period has passed. The public now demands relief, stability, and a functional economy. The administration must urgently resolve the power and energy shortages, revive economic productivity, and restore law and order.

To overcome this crisis, the government must implement short, medium, and long-term plans. Reaching a tolerable resolution to the power and energy crisis will pave the way for solving broader challenges. Emergency measures the government should consider include:

1. Privatize Power Distribution and Energy Supply: Bureaucracy impedes swift energy imports. Privatizing distribution—similar to models in major international cities—allows the government to focus strictly on power generation and wholesale supply, drastically reducing the state’s administrative burden.
2. Prioritize Regional Cooperation: Regional neighbors are crucial during energy crises. Restoring and prioritizing relations with neighboring countries to import gas and fuel must be a top priority.
3. Phase Out Household Natural Gas: Stop the luxury of supplying valuable natural gas to households and redirect it entirely to industrial production to protect the economy.
4. Transition Transportation: Rapidly initiate the conversion process for CNG-run vehicles and other public transport.
5. Expand Renewable Energy: Increase the adoption of solar power and other renewable energy sources.
6. Promote Electric Vehicles (EVs): Encourage and legislate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles nationwide.
7. Commission Key Projects: Take all necessary steps to make the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant operational as quickly as possible.

Additionally, long-term plans must include drilling new domestic gas wells and expanding coal-based power generation. Above all, the government must act swiftly. The people of the country want immediate solutions.